Hire a D11 Dozer in one touch from your iPhone?

A syndicate of civil contracting project managers has launched an ingenuous website and more recently, a phone application, helping project managers find plant and heavy machinery at the click of a button. The website: iseekplant.com. au is an industry conglomeration tool connecting plant users with plant hire businesses of all sizes across Australia based on their capability and availability.

Formerly the domain of the business directories, and over-filled business card folders in the top desk draws of seasoned project managers, finding plant used to be a time consuming lottery. Hours were spent on the phone trying to source specific equipment from companies with no knowledge of their equipment base or availability. Now it can all be done online, with a 15 second web search, based on specified requirements in geographical locations close to the project, or from anywhere in Australia, through your desktop PC or, within this month, from your Smartphone.

After working in the industry for many years, the Directors identified an opportunity to take plant hire search online. “I was spending too much time trawling through the Yellow Pagesto find plant and not enough time supervising onsite. A group of us got together and designed a web-based tool, allowing users to search for plant at the click of a button based on equipment specifications, locations and project requirements. From that simple idea, we’ve created something capable of that and much more” says Drew McPherson, co-creator of iseekplant.com. au, and an earthworks project manager based in North Queensland.

The site has experienced phenomenal success since launching in October 2012, and in its fifth month, is approaching 250 listed plant hire companies ranging from 1 machine to 500 machines, who have uploaded over 5500items of plant for hire with specifications and images. Project managers from the big and small contractors are placing over 200 searches for projects nationwide per day. The site boasts an impressive 10,000 unique visitors since launch, and is now growing at hundreds each day.

Project Manager, Mick Bishop, of Shad forth’s Civil Contractors recently started using the site and is a strong advocate. “To find plant for projects, I used to spend many hours dialing numbers, not knowing if the company I was calling even owned the equipment I needed, or had it available for hire. Now, I can search in a matter of seconds and the site returns a complete list of companies with the machines and attachments I need. ”

The stellar launch results of iseekplant.com. au are proof of the readiness of the civil contracting and earthmoving industry to embrace the internet to improve efficiency, project resource allocation and as a powerful tool to grow businesses.

Denis Gardner, General Manager of Ezyquip Hire, sees it as an indispensable marketing and industry insights tool. “iseekplant has the potential to change the way equipment is hired for projects in our industry. Anything that can help my machines get hired more often, means my business can grow faster and we can expand our equipment offering with the needs of the market. ”

But its not just big business that will benefit the most from this tool. Plant Hire owner and operator, Steven Pollard of Pollard Plant Hire based in South East Queensland, saw immediate results after uploading his fleet of equipment. “I’ve already had 4 inquires for my plant in the last week, in places as far as Bathurst in NSW. Before now, I wouldn’t have even been in consideration for projects like that because I didn’t have the contacts, and now I can access work anywhere in the country, ” says Steven Pollard.

iseekplantis free to use and was built to make the daily jobs of users easier. Project managers are able to create shortlists and submit whole project requirements directly to plant owners to quote on urgently. Plant owners meeting those requirements are sent an SMS and email project notification, and can respond urgently with a quote if their equipment is available. A phone application will be launched this month, with enhanced map functionality, allowing project managers to find plant near to their psychical location.

The iSeekplant team is very proud of its immediate success, and of its industry roots. Matt Peters, CEO of iseekplant.com. au. “The team at iseekplant.com. au is what is making it a success. We have civil project managers, ex-plant hire guys, web developers and digital marketing experts. The sky is literally the limit for this tool and its application to our industry. ”